For her orchestral debut, Rosanne Cash[left]wore black jeans, a sequined green top and a black jacket with (short) tails. The informality mixed with the formality worked for Cash and the Minnesota Orchestra Friday at Orchestra Hall. The symphonic sounds added emotions to a few numbers and buoyed Cash on a couple others. She also offered several tunes, accompanied by her three-man band or merely her husband/guitarist/producer,John Leventhal. . . . [The orchestra's] strings underscored the sadness ofPatsy Cline’s "She's Got You" and added a fitting Irish flavor to Cash’s own "The Good Intent," a dreaminess to "The World Unseen" and a loneliness of "Sleeping in Paris." The best arrangements had to be the swelling "Seven-Year Ache," Cash’s biggest hit, and the closing "The Wheel," her most uptempo and dynamic tune.

Oh, and I'm happy to report that Rosanne sang one of my favorite songs: "Dreams Are Not My Home" from her 2006 albumBlack Cadillac. I particularly love the lyrics of this particular song, including the following.

The waves are breaking on the wall.The queen of roses spreads her arms to fly, she falls.If I had wings I'd cut them down.Live without these dreamsso I could learn to love the ground.

'Cause I wanna live inside the world,I wanna act like a real girl.I wanna know I'm not alone,and the dreams are not my home

The future's like a ringing bell,the road to good intentionswanders all the way through hellThe note that hangs in the gilded hall,the clanging of my empty rooms.Yeah, I could learn to love them all . . .

Yes, it was a wonderful evening of music, one that I shared with my friend Greg and which I have my generous friends Amy and Dawn to thank for.

The concert was named after a 2006 piece by Erika Foin. This particular piece, which opened last Saturday's performance, was inspired byCicely Herbert's poem "Everything Changes"which Foin was first introduced to ten years ago courtesy of the London Underground!

My good friend Kathleen (left) is the orchestra's Principal Second Violinist, and Saturday's performance was the first forJacob Sustaita, the orchestra's newly appointed Music Director.

The MPO was founded in 1993 by Kevin Ford, a gay man who had a vision of a gay and lesbian orchestra that would build community and fellowship through the performance of classical music.Notesthe MPO website:

Although Kevin succumbed to complications from HIV-AIDS in 1995, the organization he created continues to grow and diversify today. The MPO includes players from a variety of backgrounds and orientations who share a commitment to inclusivity, non-discrimination, and to the performance of works by under-represented composers.

Last Saturday's concert impressively showcased the MPO's high standards of musicality and artistic integrity. I particularly appreciated and enjoyed the performance ofRodrigo's "Adagio for Wind Orchestra," the nimble playing of guest violinistAndrew Sords, and the gracefully energetic conducting ofJacob Sustaita(right).

I look forward to future concerts of the MPO and strongly encourage my Minnesotan readers to get to know this "instrumental voice for the GLBTA community." You can learn about future performances of the MPOhere.

I established The Wild Reed in 2006 as a sign of solidarity with all who are dedicated to living lives of integrity – though, in particular, with gay people seeking to be true to both the gift of their sexuality and their Catholic faith. The Wild Reed's original by-line read, "Thoughts and reflections from a progressive, gay, Catholic perspective." As you can see, it reads differently now. This is because my journey has, in many ways, taken me beyond, or perhaps better still, deeper into the realities that the words "progressive," "gay," and "Catholic" seek to describe.

Even though reeds can symbolize frailty, they may also represent the strength found in flexibility. Popular wisdom says that the green reed which bends in the wind is stronger than the mighty oak which breaks in a storm. Tall green reeds are associated with water, fertility, abundance, wealth, and rebirth. The sound of a reed pipe is often considered the voice of a soul pining for God or a lost love.

On September 24, 2012,Michael BaylyofCatholics for Marriage Equality MNwas interviewed by Suzanne Linton of Our World Today about same-sex relationships and why Catholics can vote 'no' on the proposed Minnesota anti-marriage equality amendment.

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